Vertically adjustable head restraint

ABSTRACT

A head restraint assembly includes a base portion including a first post portion extending in a vertical direction. Also included is a head restraint operatively coupled to the base portion. Further included is a housing comprising a front shell and a rear shell. Yet further included is a lock slide manually moveable between a locked condition and an unlocked condition. Also included is at least one armature biasing member surrounding a portion of the base portion and biasing the base portion to be in constant contact with the front shell. Further included is at least one journal friction spring disposed within at least one of the front shell and the rear shell to control a manual adjustment effort, the at least one armature biasing member and the at least one journal friction spring biasing the housing in the same direction.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a Continuation-in-Part Application of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/934,121, filed Mar. 23, 2018, which claimspriority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/477,178, filed Mar. 27,2017, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to vehicle head restraintsand, more particularly, to a vehicle head restraint that is verticallytranslatable.

BACKGROUND

Many vehicles, such as automobiles, include a headrest or head restraintatop an occupant's seat and in a position adjacent the occupant's head.Head restraints are typically cushioned for comfort and may be heightadjustable. For head restraints that are vertically adjustable, manualadjustment of the vertical position of the head restraint is oftencumbersome for a user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a head restraint assemblyincludes a base portion including a first post portion extending in avertical direction. Also included is a head restraint operativelycoupled to the base portion. Further included is a housing comprising afront shell and a rear shell. Yet further included is a lock slidemanually moveable between a locked condition and an unlocked condition,the locked condition disposing a portion of the lock slide within one ofa plurality of recesses of the first post portion, the unlockedcondition defined by removal of the lock slide from the plurality ofrecesses to allow adjustment of the head restraint in the verticaldirection. Also included is at least one armature biasing membersurrounding a portion of the base portion and biasing the base portionto be in constant contact with the front shell. Further included is atleast one journal friction spring disposed within at least one of thefront shell and the rear shell to control a manual adjustment effort,the at least one armature biasing member and the at least one journalfriction spring biasing the housing in the same direction.

According to another aspect of the disclosure, a head restraint assemblythat is manually adjustable in a vertical direction. The head restraintassembly includes a base portion including a first post portion and asecond post portion, each post portion extending in a verticaldirection. Also included is a head restraint housing having a frontshell and a rear shell operatively coupled to each other, the first andsecond post portions extending through respective apertures defined by afront shell and a rear shell. Further included is a lock slide extendinghorizontally from a first end to a second end, the lock slide defining afirst aperture with a first lock slide edge and a second aperture with asecond lock slide edge, the lock slide manually moveable between alocked condition and an unlocked condition, the locked conditiondisposing the first lock slide edge within one of a plurality ofrecesses of the first post portion and disposing the second lock slideedge within one of a plurality of recesses of the second post portion,the unlocked condition defined by removal of the lock slide from theplurality of recesses to allow adjustment of the head restraint in thevertical direction. Yet further included is at least one journalfriction spring disposed within at least one of the front shell and therear shell to control a manual adjustment effort. Also included is aneffort skate disposed between the journal friction spring and one of thepost members.

These and other advantages and features will become more apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The subject matter, which is regarded as the invention, is particularlypointed out and distinctly claimed in the claims at the conclusion ofthe specification. The foregoing and other features, and advantages ofthe invention are apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a head restraint with a coverremoved to illustrate a housing;

FIG. 2 is a disassembled view of the head restraint;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view with a portion of the housing removed toillustrate a lock slide assembly of the head restraint;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lock slide of the lock slide assembly,the lock slide connected to an armature;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the lock slide assembly;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the lock slide assembly illustratinganother aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an armature biasing assembly;

FIG. 8 is a side, cross-sectional view of the armature biasing assembly;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the armature biasing assembly;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a push button actuator and adjustmentbiasing assembly;

FIG. 11 is a side, cross-sectional view of the adjustment biasingassembly;

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the head restraint according toanother aspect of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a rear perspective view of the head restraint of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, front perspective view of a portion of the headrestraint of FIG. 12;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the head restraint assembly of FIG. 12illustrating a cutaway portion shown in FIGS. 16 and 17;

FIG. 16 is a side, sectional view of a portion of the head restraint ofFIG. 12; and

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, side sectional view of a portion of FIG. 16.

The detailed description explains embodiments of the invention, togetherwith advantages and features, by way of example with reference to thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a head restraint assembly 10 is schematicallydepicted. The head restraint assembly 10 includes a base portion 14 (mayalso be referred to as an “armature”) that is mountable to a vehicleseat (not illustrated) and, more specifically, to the upper portion ofthe seatback of the vehicle seat. In the illustrated embodiment, thebase portion 14 includes two post members 18 that are mounted, ormountable, to the top of the seatback of the vehicle seat, as understoodby those skilled in the art. Each of the post members 18 extends into arespective hole formed in the top of the seatback to attach the headrestraint assembly 10 to the vehicle seat.

The head restraint assembly 10 includes a housing 34 that provides rigidstructure and partially encloses a number of components, as will bedescribed in detail below. The head restraint assembly 10 also includescushioning and a head restraint cover (not shown) that are mounted withrespect to the housing 34 for movement therewith. The head restraintcushion is comprised of a soft foam material or a like material toprovide a cushion between the head of a human occupant of the vehicleseat and the housing 34. The head restraint cover covers at least partof the cushion and the housing to enhance the aesthetics of the headrestraint. Exemplary cover materials include cloth, vinyl, leather, etc.

The housing is operatively coupled to the base portion 14 such that thehousing 34 (and the rest of the overall head restraint, including thecushion and cover) is selectively translatable in a substantiallyvertical direction (i.e., two-way movement along longitudinal directionof post members 18) with respect to the base portion 14 and, therefore,is also selectively translatable with respect to the seatback portion ofthe vehicle seat. More specifically, the housing 34 is mounted withrespect to the base portion 14 and selectively translatable with respectto the base portion 14.

FIG. 2 illustrates the head restraint assembly 10 in a disassembled viewto illustrate several internal components that will be described indetail herein. As shown, the housing 34 includes a front shell 38 and arear shell 40. In FIG. 2, the front shell 38 and the rear shell 40 areseparated from each other to illustrate the internal components, but inan assembled condition, the front shell 38 and the rear shell 40 arecoupled to each other with mechanical fasteners 41 extending through atleast a portion of the front shell 38 and the rear shell 40 (FIGS. 1 and10). For example, screws, bolts, nuts or the like may be employed as themechanical fasteners 41 to secure the front shell 38 to the rear shell40. Although it is contemplated that various suitable materials for themechanical fasteners 41 may be employed, in one embodiment themechanical fasteners 41 are formed of low carbon steel.

As will be described in detail herein, a lock slide 72 is disposed atleast partially within the housing 34 and associated with the baseportion 14 to facilitate manual vertical adjustment of the housing 34which causes vertical adjustment of the overall head restraint. Theother elements illustrated in the disassembled view of FIG. 2, anddescribed herein, are a push button bezel 60, a push button 86integrally formed with the lock slide 72, a lock slide spring 84,journal friction springs 100, and armature biasing members 68.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-6, the lock slide 72 is illustrated in greaterdetail. The lock slide 72 extends from a first end portion 74 to asecond end portion 75 and receives the post members 18 of base portion14 through a first aperture 76 and a second aperture 78. The lock slide72 includes a main portion 80 disposed at least partially within thehousing (i.e., between the front shell 38 and the rear shell 40). Insome embodiments, a cavity 82 is defined by at least one of the frontshell 38 and the rear shell 40 for the lock slide 72 to be seatedwithin. The lock slide spring 84 is in abutment with, or operativelycoupled to, a protrusion surface 69 extending substantiallyperpendicularly from the main portion 80 of the lock slide 72. The lockslide spring 84 is also in abutment with at least one inner wall 83 ofthe front shell 38 and/or the rear shell 40.

The push button 86 is formed as part of the lock slide 72 at the secondend portion 75 and is configured to be secured within the push buttonbezel 60. A portion of the push button bezel 60 is sandwiched by thefront shell 38 and the rear shell 40 to operatively couple the pushbutton bezel 60 to the head restraint assembly 10. The push button bezel60 is located at an exterior location of the head restraint, such thatit is accessible to a user. The push button bezel 60 defines an aperturethat allows the push button 86 to be visible and accessible to a userfor depression thereof. The lock slide spring 84 biases the lock slide72, and therefore the push button 86, in the direction of the pushbutton bezel 60.

The apertures 76, 78 of the lock slide 72 are defined by one or moreedges 93 that engage recesses 94 of the post members 18 to fix avertical position of the head restraint, as shown best in FIGS. 4 and 6.Upon depression of the push button 86 by a user, the biasing forces ofthe lock slide spring 84 may be overcome to remove the edge(s) 93 of thelock slide 72 from the recesses 94 of the post members 18. Removal fromthe recesses 94 allows substantially vertical adjustment of the headrestraint until a desired position is reached. Once in the desiredposition, the edge(s) 93 of the lock slide 72 is able to be disposedwithin another recess 94 of the post members 18 upon release of the pushbutton, as the lock slide spring 84 returns the lock slide 72 to theoriginal position.

Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, the armature biasing members 68 areillustrated in greater detail. The armature biasing members 68 arehook-like resilient members that may be formed of various suitableresilient materials capable of biasing the armature 14. In theillustrated embodiment, two armature biasing members 68 are shown, butit is to be appreciated that more or fewer members may be employed inother embodiments. The armature biasing members 68 are placed over thehorizontal portion of the armature 14 during assembly and into contactwith the rear shell 40. As the housing 34 moves up and down, thearmature biasing members 68 ensure that the armature 14 is biased to bein contact with the front shell 38 to maintain constant engagement. Thisadvantageously avoids a gap that would otherwise lead to rattle or otherundesirable sounds that may be present during operation of the headrestraint.

A portion of the armature biasing members 68 are positioned withingrooves 99 defined by the rear shell 40. The grooves 99 allow thearmature biasing members 68 to be horizontally fixed relative to therear shell 40, particularly during vertical movement of the housing 34.The grooves 99 guide the armature biasing members 68 during verticaladjustment of the head restraint assembly. As described above, contactbetween the armature 14 and the front shell 38 is maintained by thebiasing force of the armature biasing members 68 at any verticalposition of the head restraint assembly.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, a portion of the head restraintassembly 10 is illustrated in an assembled condition. The assemblyincludes a journal friction spring 100 on each side of the housing 34.In the illustrated embodiment, the journal friction spring 100 isdisposed within the front shell 38, but it is contemplated that it maybe disposed within the rear shell 40. The journal friction spring 100extends from a first end 102 to a second end 104. Each end 102, 104 isseated within a recess of respective block members 106 that are formedwithin the front shell 38.

The journal friction spring 100 establishes a consistent manualadjustment effort by the user. Inconsistent manual adjustment effort ispresent in prior designs due to thermal growth of materials that arepart of the head restraint assembly 10. In particular, the housing 34may be designed to have a slight clearance with the armature 14 incertain ambient conditions, but extreme cold or heat may alter theclearance substantially enough to alter the manual adjustment effortrequired to adjust the head restraint. In the embodiments disclosedherein, the journal friction spring(s) 100 are configured to maintain aconstant manual adjustment effort. The dimensions of the journalfriction spring(s) 100 may be easily customized to provide differentmanual adjustment efforts and to be adapted to different head restraintassembly designs.

Referring now to FIGS. 12-17, another embodiment of the disclosure headrestraint assembly 10 is illustrated according to various views. Thehead restraint assembly 10 shown in FIGS. 12-16 includes severalcomponents that are similar or identical to the features described abovein connection with FIGS. 1-11. Therefore, only the components that aredifferent therefrom are described in detail at this point.

FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate front and rear views, respectively, of thehousing 34, including a front shell 138 and a rear shell 140. In theillustrated embodiment, the front and rear shells 138, 140 are solid tofully enclose the interior space defined therein (with the exception ofapertures for receiving fasteners for securing the shells 138, 140 toeach other in some embodiments). In particular, the apertures—orwindows—shown in FIGS. 1-3 are not present. Embodiments with the solidshells 138, 140 facilitate a design that is more favorable tomanufacturing methods relying on “pour in place” execution. FIG. 14illustrates additional regions of the front shell 138 that aresolidified (i.e., without apertures). Specifically, process windowsillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 are no longer present in the embodiment ofFIGS. 12-16 at closed regions 140. This eliminates exposure of thejournal spring(s) 100, thereby concealing the journal spring 100 to makeit more robust and reduce the risk of failure.

Referring now to FIGS. 15-17, an offset sectional view of the headrestraint assembly 10 is illustrated. As shown, the armature biasingmember(s) 68 are loaded in the forward direction, but the journalspring(s) 100 are also loaded in the forward direction. An effort skate150 is included and is operatively coupled to the post member 18. Thejournal spring 100 is in contact with the effort skate 150 to improvearmature stability.

Advantageously, the embodiments described herein facilitate minimaleffort required to translate the head restraint vertically withoperation of the push button 86.

While the invention has been described in detail in connection with onlya limited number of embodiments, it should be readily understood thatthe invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments. Rather, theinvention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations,alterations, substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretoforedescribed, but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of theinvention. Additionally, while various embodiments of the invention havebeen described, it is to be understood that aspects of the invention mayinclude only some of the described embodiments. Accordingly, theinvention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description, butis only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A head restraint assembly comprising: a baseportion including a first post portion extending in a verticaldirection; a head restraint operatively coupled to the base portion; ahousing comprising a front shell and a rear shell; a lock slide manuallymoveable between a locked condition and an unlocked condition, thelocked condition disposing a portion of the lock slide within one of aplurality of recesses of the first post portion, the unlocked conditiondefined by removal of the lock slide from the plurality of recesses toallow adjustment of the head restraint in the vertical direction; atleast one armature biasing member surrounding a portion of the baseportion and biasing the base portion to be in constant contact with thefront shell; and at least one journal friction spring disposed within atleast one of the front shell and the rear shell to control a manualadjustment effort, the at least one armature biasing member and the atleast one journal friction spring biasing the housing in the samedirection.
 2. The head restraint assembly of claim 1, further comprisinga second post portion, the first and second post portions extendingthrough respective apertures defined by a front shell and a rear shell,the front shell and the rear shell operatively coupled to each other. 3.The head restraint assembly of claim 2, wherein the lock slide extendshorizontally from a first end to a second end, the lock slide defining afirst aperture with a first lock slide edge, the first lock slide edgebeing the portion of the lock slide moveable within and out of theplurality of recesses of the first post portion.
 4. The head restraintassembly of claim 3, wherein the lock slide includes a push buttonintegrally formed at the second end thereof, the push button accessibleto a user for manually moving the lock slide out of engagement with theplurality of recesses of the first post portion.
 5. The head restraintassembly of claim 4, further comprising a push button bezel operativelycoupled to the front shell and the rear shell, the push button disposedwithin the push button bezel.
 6. The head restraint assembly of claim 4,further comprising a lock slide spring in contact with the lock slide tobias the lock slide to be in the locked condition, depression of thepush button overcoming a spring force of the lock slide spring to movethe lock slide to the unlocked condition.
 7. The head restraint assemblyof claim 1, wherein a portion of the at least one armature biasingmember is disposed within a groove defined by the rear shell, the grooveretaining the armature biasing member(s) in a horizontal directionduring vertical movement of the head restraint.
 8. The head restraintassembly of claim 2, wherein the lock slide defines a second aperturewith a second lock slide edge, the second lock slide edge being theportion of the lock slide moveable within and out of the plurality ofrecesses of the second post portion.
 9. The head restraint assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the front shell and the rear shell are solid members.10. A head restraint assembly that is manually adjustable in a verticaldirection, the head restraint assembly comprising: a base portionincluding a first post portion and a second post portion, each postportion extending in a vertical direction; a head restraint housinghaving a front shell and a rear shell operatively coupled to each other,the first and second post portions extending through respectiveapertures defined by a front shell and a rear shell; a lock slideextending horizontally from a first end to a second end, the lock slidedefining a first aperture with a first lock slide edge and a secondaperture with a second lock slide edge, the lock slide manually moveablebetween a locked condition and an unlocked condition, the lockedcondition disposing the first lock slide edge within one of a pluralityof recesses of the first post portion and disposing the second lockslide edge within one of a plurality of recesses of the second postportion, the unlocked condition defined by removal of the lock slidefrom the plurality of recesses to allow adjustment of the head restraintin the vertical direction; at least one journal friction spring disposedwithin at least one of the front shell and the rear shell to control amanual adjustment effort; and an effort skate disposed between thejournal friction spring and one of the post members.
 11. The headrestraint assembly of claim 10, wherein the lock slide includes a pushbutton integrally formed at the second end thereof, the push buttonaccessible to a user for manually moving the lock slide out ofengagement with the plurality of recesses of the first post portion. 12.The head restraint assembly of claim 11, further comprising a pushbutton bezel operatively coupled to the front shell and the rear shell,the push button disposed within the push button bezel.
 13. The headrestraint assembly of claim 12, further comprising a lock slide springin contact with the lock slide to bias the lock slide to be in thelocked condition, depression of the push button overcoming a springforce of the lock slide spring to move the lock slide to the unlockedcondition.
 14. The head restraint assembly of claim 10, furthercomprising at least one armature biasing member surrounding a portion ofthe base portion and biasing the base portion to be in constant contactwith the front shell.
 15. The head restraint assembly of claim 14,wherein a portion of the at least one armature biasing member isdisposed within a groove defined by the rear shell, the groove retainingthe armature biasing member(s) in a horizontal direction during verticalmovement of the head restraint.